Recollecting and being recollected
by Koshimae Ryo
Summary: Echizen had kept something forgotten- a bitter memory when he was still young in America. How would it affect his life a few years after that, and how would certain people help out when they couldn't really do anything about it?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, everyone! If you must know, this is my FIRST fanfiction story ever!

I don't know if this will be a good one or not, but I'm still hoping you'll like it! I'm not sure about the pairings though; however, I'm going to warn you now- this story will be **YAOI** or **SHOUNEN AI!**

**A.N.: **If you don't mind, please read my note at the end of this chapter. Thank you! ^.^

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Forgotten Memory**

_I hate this place… Everything is white, and I can smell the sickening disinfectant and all sorts of chemicals. I feel so weak, tired and always nauseous. The treatments are much worse. The medicine, instead of making you feel a lot better, it just makes you feel more horrible._

"_Be strong, Ryoma. I know you can make this through." I turn to my side. My kaa-san is crying silently and oyaji is comforting the love of his life. And then, I glanced at the owner of that voice from earlier. He squeezed my hand, as if he'll lose me forever if he let go.

* * *

_

Karupin pawed Ryoma's soft cheeks and mewed, as he tried to wake his master up from his nightmare. Ryoma's eyes widened and started to breathe really hard. He finally calmed down when he felt his cat caress its head against him. He smiled tiredly, patted his Himalayan cat and looked at the time. It was only 6am, but he changed into his uniform, anyway.

* * *

"_You know, Ryoma, you should smile more. Children like us should be more cheerful and enjoy the time being young!" He said with a playful smile on his face.

* * *

_

The young boy scowled. His head started to hurt. He hadn't slept well for days and apparently, Ryoma had been having that same dream. It had been irking him over and over, and it had kept waking him up every time he would close his eyes, making him really exhausted.

He finally descended the stairs and shuffled into the kitchen to eat. His mom made him a Japanese style breakfast; Nanako was helping out in the kitchen, and his dad was reading his _'newspaper'_. Ryoma plop onto his seat and stared blankly at his food. "Ohayou, Ryoma-san." His ever smiling cousin greeted. After a while, Rinko noticed that her son wasn't eating.

"**What's wrong, dear? Are you sick?**" She had just finished talking to her foreign client, so it had slipped from her mind that she was supposed to be talking in Japanese. "**I'm fine.**" The three gaped at Ryoma. Then, he stood up and put his tennis bag onto his shoulder. "Oi, seishounen, leaving already? What about your breakfast?" Nanjirou watched his, as his son walked out of the kitchen. "Please, Ryoma-san, you must eat something." Nanako pleaded. "**I'm not hungry.**" Ryoma muttered, before he went off to school.

"Eh? Something's not right. He'd been losing his appetite for the past few days." commented Nanjirou, sounding oddly serious about it. "Sou da yo, anata. I'm getting really worried about our son. Maybe we should check him to a doctor." Rinko suggested. Nanako anxiously stared at where Ryoma had meandered. "Ryoma-san…"

* * *

Ryoma was walking tiredly to school when Momoshiro saw him. "Oi, Echizen, you're early today." Ryoma acted like he didn't notice his loud senpai, since he continued walking like nothing happened. "Hellooo! Earth to Echizen!" Momo yelled, while he tried to catch up with him using his bike. At that time, Ryoma cursed inwardly when he felt that same odd feeling again. He scowled, as it was getting really disturbing. He didn't want to feel that kind of nostalgia.

Echizen was just about to go inside the club room when his phone rang all of a sudden, and of course, he picked it up.

"**Hello?"** He reluctantly answered, as if he knew who it was already, and he shuddered at the caller's message. **"**_**Hey, kid, I can see your every move…**_**"** Ryoma looked around to see if anyone was there and saw _him_. He scowled. That guy was doing it again. He really wasn't in the mood for any more pranks like this. Then, the next thing that the strange man said traumatized him.

"_**I hate you, and soon, you and your family will be in a pool of your own blood…"**_

That didn't sound like a prank at all. He glanced at his stalker. The way _he_ uttered those words made him sense _his_ resentment. Dread and fear drenched within him, as the man chuckled horridly. The cat-eyed boy was still considering that it was just a hoax, though he doubted that it was, judging by the man's words and tone.

Ryoma flinched when someone suddenly touched him on his shoulder, and he dropped his phone. "Hey, calm down." He snapped back to reality, as he recognized the owner of that voice. It was just Momo. "Are you alright, Echizen? Whom were you talking to on the phone?" To be honest, Momoshiro, along with teammates, was getting really worried about him. He then felt Ryoma trembling.

* * *

_He placed a hand on my shoulder, and then, I turned to him. "Ryoma, if something's troubling you, don't keep it to yourself… okay?" I let my grin grace on my lips and nodded tiredly.

* * *

_

Ryoma fixed his composure and shrugged. "It's nothing." He merely replied to his senpai, before he opened the door and entered the club room. Everyone's staring at him. Why is everyone gawking at him? Well, whatever. Ryoma just ignored it and went to his locker to change instead.

"Something's not right here. He's been unusually quiet these past few days." said Inui. Ooishi leaned to Ryoma. "Are you okay, Echizen-kun? You look a little pale, and it looks like you lost some weight. Haven't you been eating much lately? Is something bothering you? Maybe you should skip practice and take some rest." Ooishi had been like an anxious and annoying mother hen recently, and Echizen was getting really irritated about it. Everyone's been talking about the same thing over and over. He wished that everyone would just leave him alone.

Eiji jumped onto Ryoma and hugged him, "Nya, ochibi, he's right. You look really weird, you know, nyaa~" then, Echizen jerked from his senpai and glared at him, before he headed to the courts, leaving the group, startled. "Ochibi…?" muttered the red-headed player under his breath. Fuji's typically closed eyes were shot open, unveiling his sapphire orbs.

Momo stepped inside the room. Along with the others, sans Tezuka, since he's in Germany to heal his shoulder, he, too, was also perplexed. "Senpai-tachi…" he mumbled. "Had you talked to Echizen and noticed anything strange?" Inui demanded. Momoshiro thought for a while, before he replied. "Yeah… when I finally caught up with Echizen, I stopped when I saw him, looking like…" He suddenly stopped when he reminisce the look on the boy's face. "And then…?" Fuji prodded Momoshiro to continue. The broom-haired boy shuddered at the tensai's creepy stare.

"He looked horrified at something…" He finished. The team gaped at him in disbelief. Echizen Ryoma, the cockiest and the most arrogant brat that ever existed, was scared?

Silence.

Then Kaidou broke the stillness. "Fssshhh… Are you sure about that, peach-head?"

"What did you say, baka mamushi?"

"Teme…!"

Eiji jumped between the two. "Hoi, hoi, stop it, you two. We need to worry about ochibi right now."

Everyone fell into silence, whilst they were thinking about what the heck was up with the situation of their kouhai here. "Maybe, we should forget about this for a while and head for practice." They all agreed with Ooishi and did what he had just suggested. But they didn't concentrate well enough on their training. The members hadn't averted their eyes from Echizen who was playing against Kaidou.

Ryoma barely won against the snake boy, because obviously, his mind was absent. He was thinking about that sinister phone call and the things related to that creepy guy. He couldn't help but think about the worst things that might happen to him when he's all alone which made him feel uptight in this situation.

* * *

"_You stupid brat! Why did you let this happen to him?" The furious man yelled out while the men in the room were trying to keep him in sane. The young lad on the white bed cried incessantly, as the doctors and nurses tried to control the disastrous situation.

* * *

_

Morning practice was over, and it's time to head to class. As usual, Ryoma wasn't paying any of his attention to any of his teachers, but it wasn't for the fact that he was bored or knew the lesson already; it's just that there were some things that couldn't stop irking his brain. Naturally, his annoying classmate, Horio, along with his fellow little freshman _'minions',_ noticed that he'd been acting really weird. So at lunch, they dared to ask Ryoma what had been bothering him.

"Ryoma-kun, how come you are not yourself lately?" Kachirou started.

"…" Ryoma kept quiet, and it was like he didn't hear anything. Kachirou and Katsuo stared at each other worriedly. Then, Horio interjected and started talking about how Echizen had kept on messing up every practice recently. He kept on talking and talking and bragging, saying that even he was not as irresponsible as he was. How come Horio had been always so egotistical about himself when it's obvious, even to him that he sucked at everything he did? The two sighed and wished that he could just shut up for once.

"Echizen can be so… Eh? Where's Echizen?" The three looked around to see where he had gone to.

* * *

Echizen took a deep breath and sighed resignedly. He's too tired and desperately wanted to get a really nice rest. But that same nightmare wouldn't let him have any sleep which was what he certainly wanted to do. Notwithstanding, it wasn't just a mere dream. It was a part of his unforgettable reminiscence back in America.

_"__It's because of you that he's dead! You're going pay for this!"_

He recollected all those words. He thought he had forgotten about it, but now, it started haunting him all over again… still, why now?

Then, he found himself inside the restroom, standing in front of the mirror. He now realized why his teammates and his family were so worried about him. He really looked terrible. His face was a lot paler than usual, and dark smudges had shown under his eyes. He also noticed that he had lost some weight due to not eating much lately.

He clenched his teeth. At that moment, he loathed seeing himself in front of the mirror again. What was he thinking? Why did his brain keep on reminiscing them all of a sudden?

He got infuriated, so he banged the mirror with his fist and strutted his way to his classroom.

* * *

The last period of the class had ended, and so, Echizen went to the tennis club. After practice, Momo leaned to his best buddy and asked him if he wanted to eat with him, along with Eiji-senpai, at 'Hamburger' and said that Eiji-senpai was going to pay, though the latter was mumbling something which they couldn't really understand. Ryoma simply nodded in reply, though he didn't feel like hanging out with them.

**...**

Momoshiro had been devouring everything in front of him. But when he looked at his kouhai, he stopped. Eiji, who was looking at his pig friend, and at the same time, he was thinking about his poor wallet, was wondering why his behavior was cut short, so he looked at where he had landed his gaze.

Echizen was just staring at his food, not eating or even touching it. "Nya, ochibi, why aren't you eating?" asked Eiji. "Yeah, Echizen, you know, you should eat something. You got thinner, and as senpai, it is my obligation to look after my kouhai." Momo said. So Echizen obediently did what his senpai had told him to do. But just after one bite, he decided that he had enough, and that, he didn't have the appetite to eat anything. Afterward, Echizen left his senpai-tachi in a worried state. "O-oi, Echizen, ch-chotto!" "Don't go, ochibi!" they yelled out, not minding everyone's stare, but the brat just continued on sauntering.

They were about to chase after their stubborn kouhai when something started to ring. Momo and Eiji stared at each other to know whose phone was ringing. They sought where the sound was coming from and found out that it was from Momo's bag, so the younger teen opened it and unearth an orange phone.

'_Oh, that's right. I forgot to return it to Echizen,'_ Momo thought. "Momo, isn't that ochibi-chan's phone?" Eiji pointed out. Momo nodded and answered the call. "Moshi mo-" "**Hey, bastard, no more **_**playing**_ **around. I want you to be dead now!**" Momo gasped, and the caller hung up. That didn't sound good at all!

"E-Eiji-senpai, Echizen's in trouble! We have to find him before it's too late!" Momo shouted. "Why? What will happen to ochibi?" Momo explained it on the way in finding Echizen. They were in panic when they couldn't find him at all. Momoshiro picked up his phone to call his teammates to inform them what's happening. "Ochibi, please be okay…"

* * *

Holding his large stiletto, he made his way closer behind the brat. Ryoma froze; his eyes widened, as he felt the man approaching. He tried to run away, but the man was quick enough to grab him. The menacing man covered his mouth to keep him from screaming. Ryoma struggled to free himself from the man's clutch. Then, he twitched when he saw a big, silver blade in front of him.

He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he felt pain in his chest. Ryoma groaned, as if he was facing a somewhat 'slow death', and yet, after all that, the man was still not satisfied, so he deepened his knife even more, earning a deeper clutch from his victim who was gripping his arm. After a while, Ryoma lost his strength, along with his consciousness, and his arms fell down to his sides limply. The stranger heard someone, coming on their way, so he threw the bleeding youth on the ground harshly and ran away, as he didn't want to be discovered.

* * *

A boy with grayish-purple locks, wearing a gray, white and black combination of jersey, was walking by, when he heard someone cried in pain. He ordered his muscular companion to follow him to see whose voice it belonged to. That voice was excruciatingly familiar, so he was curious. To his utter horror, he saw a young boy, sported in black uniform of Seigaku, lying in the pool of his own blood. "E-Echizen!'' He picked up his phone to call the ambulance. His hand trembled, as he held Echizen with his free hand. "Echizen, open your eyes. Don't you dare die in front of me!"

* * *

So… What did you think? You know, when I was thinking about this story, FujiXRyoXAto reminded me of molecular geometry in chemistry… Ryo-chan was oxygen, and Shuu-chan and Kei-chan were Hydrogen, and together they make water.

Do you know their type of geometry? Hehehe… you have to find out for yourselves… XD

Anyway, which pair do you like? If you want to vote, here is the rule: type the **ionic** or **molecular compound** that is represented to its respective pairing (Anyone who doesn't follow this instruction is an idiot).

**Pairings** **Compounds Name**

AtoXRyoXFuji- N2O Dinitrogen Oxide

Thrill pair- IO Hypoiodite

Royal Pair (My fave ^^)- OH Hydroxide

Please review. To be honest, I'm really nervous right now. Thanks for using your time to read this! It really means a lot to me! X3


	2. Chapter 2

Saa.. I knew most of you would want it to be a threesome. It'd be more interesting that way. Anyway, I was glad that I had the time to type this next chapter! Apparently, there wasn't much work, and my teachers didn't give us any work… at least for the weekend. I meant- it only had been a few days since the last grading period started.

Now, about your reviews, I didn't expect to have six reviews already! ^.^

I wanted to thank Tenisu no Oujou-sama Kagome, edenforest1, EchizenRyomaLover, ryoka-chan, Nina Natsu, and Iyoushi.

Your reviews really meant a lot to me! And good work for those who followed the instruction!

Now, on with the story... enjoy! XD

* * *

Previously:

_A boy with grayish-purple locks, wearing a gray, white and black combination of jersey, was walking by, when he heard someone cried in pain. He ordered his muscular companion to follow him to see whose voice it belonged to. That voice was excruciatingly familiar, so he was curious. To his utter horror, he saw a young boy, sported in black uniform of Seigaku, lying in the pool of his own blood. "E-Echizen!'' He picked up his phone to call the ambulance. His hand trembled, as he held Echizen with his free hand. "Echizen, open your eyes. Don't you dare die in front of me!"

* * *

_

**Chapter 2: Resonance**

Then, he looked behind when he heard a group of boys running to their direction anxiously.

"Ochibi!" "Echizen!" They hollered when they saw Ryoma.

"No, we're too late!"

"What do you mean? Ore-sama demands an explanation."

"Atobe?" They were shock to see him there.

"What are you doing here?"

"Answer my question!"

Before someone could react to Atobe's demand, they heard Echizen mutter something, "_I-it's my fault…,_" then he started to breathe really hard because of the alarming amount of blood draining from his body.

"Echizen/Ochibi!"

"No! Echizen, don't die on us!" Fuji pleaded whilst he wore a serious look on his face with his eyes opened, holding back his tears. Eiji held Ryoma's hand, as he tried to drive Ryoma's will to live, and at the same time, he tried to comfort him. Tears started to streak down on his cheeks when he felt his hands cold.

"Be strong, Ryoma. Don't blame yourself. I know you can make this through, like you always do." It was unusual for Kikumaru to not use 'ochibi', but it was not as odd as using his kouhai's first name, but he was really scared of what might happen to Ryoma. He did his best to be strong though, and put all of those negative thoughts aside. If it were Ryoma, he could overcome this and become better. He always did. But still, he just couldn't help but consider that everything will change, and things wouldn't go along as it usually did.

"Why are they taking so long?" Atobe gritted his teeth in frustration. He then felt the younger boy stiffen. "Echizen…?"

Seconds later, a deafening siren could be heard along the streets.

* * *

Atobe sighed. He didn't expect this to happen at all. Echizen's teammates tried to call his parents, but unfortunately, they weren't able to contact them in any way.

Everyone was silent. None of them was saying a single word for they were too agitated. Atobe was so confounded, and curiosity couldn't stop irking his mind. Whoever bastard would do something like that, especially to a kid? Not that he cared about the brat; it's just that the current situation felt so surreal.

"Ore-sama demands an explanation." Atobe requisitioned.

"What do you mean?" Momo and the others stared at him.

"You seemed to know something. You wouldn't run so apprehensively to find him if you didn't know something so depraved will happen to him, ahn? Now, ore-sama demands for an answer."

They just looked the other way, seemingly seeking for a way to answer. Atobe scowled. He wasn't very satisfied by this. Afterward, someone finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Atobe-san, but we didn't know what's really happening either. Momo just called us. He said that we should find Echizen before it's too late. We didn't really expect that something like this would happen to him." Ooishi stated.

The one who called himself 'king' scrutinized the said commoner in front of him. He mused that Momo had known something, and that, he wasn't saying anything. Kikumaru's also doing the same notion. Momo looked at Atobe when he sensed that he was being stared at suspiciously, "O-oi, don't give me a glare like that. I don't know anything much of what is happening either. It's the same with Kikumaru-senpai." Said diva gave him a blank gaze.

"Still, you know something. So please, do the honors and enlighten us, na?" Atobe coerced, and everyone else agreed. Momo sighed and elucidated what had happened before the incident occurred.

Everyone fell into stillness.

A certain brunette stared at the rich kid intently, whilst he noticed his actions. It made the others who noticed it in the room shudder. The tensai was liberating a malevolent aura, "Ne, Atobe-kun… Why're you still here while you worry along with the rest of us?"

Atobe narrowed his eyes, "Just what do you think are you trying to insinuate, ahn?" Fuji chuckled, although, there seemed to be something sinister about it, something as akin to a resentment in it. "Saa… since when did you start caring for our little Echizen that you're still here?" Well, it really was late now that it's past nine p.m. If he didn't really care, he wouldn't be there.

"Can't ore-sama show some of his concern to your little teammate?"

"Saa… so you _do_ care about him."

"Is there something _wrong_ with ore-sama's presence?" Fuji stared at Atobe portentously. The others shivered, feeling the uncomfortable atmosphere and tension luring around them.

"You ARE interested in MY little kitten, aren't you." It wasn't a question. It was more like a threatening statement.

Everyone paused. Did they hear it wrong? Eiji was the first one to react, "Fujiko, did you just call ochibi _that_?" Fuji turned to his red-haired teammate.

"Do you have any problem with that, Eijiko?" He retorted with another query in a deceivingly sweet and innocuous tone. The red-head shifted uncomfortably before muttering, "N-nandemonai..." and silence aroused once more.

Atobe flicked his magnificent hair expertly. _Plebeians._ They should be honoured to be graced by his wonderful presence. Then, he thought about what Fuji had mentioned earlier. What was he still doing there anyway? He huffed indignantly.

The first time that they had met at the street courts, the ungrateful brat called him 'saru no taishou'... Outwardly, he looked collected, yet he was fuming inwardly. How _dare_ someone as that commoner hail _the_ great Atobe as by such atrocious epithet as MONKEY? At that mere moment, he met the other's gaze. Those eyes- they looked so alluring. It was like looking at the pair of untainted rare golden jewels- something like a sophisticated rich man like he, would want to be _his_.

The boy's tresses- although hidden by his cap- he could still see some of them shimmering with the afternoon sun. They looked so lustrous and so fine that it seemed like comparing it to the preeminent silk made by the best in the world. His pristine features composed him overly magnificent whilst combined with the eminence of the two.

He would have looked like an angel if it weren't for the mocking smirk plastered on the brat's face. And when he had his focal point on those perfect soft lips, he settled on ordering Kabaji and the rest of his team to depart when this whole thing was befalling absurd.

The others were getting impatient. Even if they already knew that their dear gaki was strong and too stubborn to die so easily, they couldn't help to worry about his condition and in their mind, they only wished that Ryoma would be alright, and that, the damn doctor had to come out soon!

And finally, as if he were summoned, a man wearing a white suit came out from the E.R. They ran to him and looked at him as if they were expecting some answers.

The doctor couldn't start to explain. How could he when these grating shounen-tachi wouldn't let him because of their frantic questions? One of them was being hyperactive; the other was like a nervous mom, and the other had a loud mouth, and now he was fighting with a snake boy. He sighed. Kids these days- they were so full of energy.

Atobe, Fuji and Inui just kept their mouth locked up, as they patiently waited for the doctor to explain. When the king of the monkeys started to lose his patience, he gritted his white teeth and stood up all of a sudden, which the others didn't notice besides the two. "Kabaji," said the diva in a commanding voice.

The big guy uttered an, "Usu," before walking to the two hot-heads in warfare and lifting them both up with each hand. The others gaped at the monstrosity. Frankenstein was really scary…

"Teme!" Kaidou hissed, as he struggled.

"Aarrgh! Atobe, what's this all about?"

Kabaji eyed his victims, causing them to shut their mouths instantly. After a brief moment of stupor, Atobe snapped his fingers, and the daunting chap released them. Momo and Kaidou were on the floor, noting at how big the guy was, even though he's a year younger than the narcissist, let alone complying with his every infuriating demand.

"Where is the family of the patient?" The general practitioner queried out of the blue after looking around.

"Ah, sorry, but none of them has arrived yet," Ooishi enunciated.

"I see. So I have to explain it to you then… First of all, it was certainly accommodating that you called the ambulance without further delay, just in time for him to not to lose any more blood. Vital organs weren't damaged, apart from his lungs due to the impairment of his fourth and fifth ribs. We recuperated them. Perilous gash made his body lose heaps of blood, thus, putting him in a critical state when our group started the operation, although, there really wasn't a problem to any further extent as the surgery was a success."

When he finished his statement, they heaved a breath in relief, glad that the doctor put it straight to the point. So, the brat would be all right.

"So, can we go see him?"

They stared at him expectantly, though the doctor shook his head, disappointing the others. "You will, after one of our nurses announced to you the room he will be in." He turned his heels to leave but stopped himself almost immediately to say something. "Oh, before I forget, when his family arrives, please, do tell them that they need to fill up some forms regarding the patient's information and the room about to be used," then he resumed to his saunter.

* * *

They all went to visit Echizen. They unconsciously discerned that there were all sorts of wires and an IV tube that was connected to the rear pallid hand belonged to the familiar person lying artlessly on the white bed. It's a little hard to deem that the kid who looked so innocent at that moment was the devil they'd been facing on the courts.

But then, they mused about the incident beforehand. When Echizen was unaware of everything around him, he muttered something. Why did he blame himself? Was it something that made someone to feel hatred that the kid ended up like that? Sure, Echizen likes to pester his opponents, but they wouldn't go that far, would they?

And then, something started to ring. "Oh, sorry, that's my phone." Momo smiled half-heartedly, before he glanced at the screen of his phone to see the name of the caller. "Ryuzaki-sensei…?" He undoubtedly caught everyone's attention at the mention of the character.

"Moshi-moshi,"

"…" Momo raised his brows. He heard that someone was crying. "Doushita, Ryuuzaki-sensei?"

"M-Momoshiro…" Her voice was hoarse and broken.

"What happened?" The sophomore was getting a bit edgy and vexed. His instinct was telling him that the matter had something to do with Echizen.

"Momo, what's wrong?" asked Eiji. Momo just shook his head, not knowing what the answer was. Momo now focused his attention to the caller who was trying to explicate what she wanted to say.

"I-it's about Ryoma's parent's… I'm afraid t-that he might get a hard time from now on…" She paused when she felt her heart ache. It's really hard to say it. How would the boy take it after he had regained his consciousness? "I'm afraid that Ryoma's parents are… dead…."

"Why? Why did it end up like this?" Momo burst out. His best friend didn't deserve this! "They were… killed" His eyes widened in horror, as his sensei hung up when she couldn't bear it anymore.

When they saw Momo paled, they rushed to the teen. Atobe made an appearance to demand, for yet, another explaining to do. But it seemed that he was completely out of it. They called out his name a few times and shook him, while mamushi threw some insults on him until finally, he was able to respond. "Momoshiro, you better…" Atobe's voice trailed off when he noticed tears started to form in his eyes. He looked pathetic for some reason. "Momoshiro…"

"It's about Echizen…" They didn't like the sound of that at all. "His parents… t-they were killed…"

Their minds were blank. They didn't know how to think.

* * *

A young lad, lying limply on the white bed, gradually opened his eyes, revealing his exquisite set of golden irises, after it was concealed from three days of slumber in recovering his body from the amount of blood that he had lost. He blinked a few times when he couldn't make out what he was seeing, since his vision was blurred. After a few moments, he finally regained his focus.

"Look! He's awake! Wait, I'll inform the doctor,"

Where _was_ he, anyway? It's all too familiar. Almost everything was white, except for the flora sitting on the table near him. The smell was appalling for him, and something connected on the back of his hand. The temperature in that room was a bit too low than normal.

No… it couldn't be that…

His face became grim at the thought. So he was at that place, _again._ What happened to him that he ended up in there? He couldn't remember.

"…oma-san… Ryoma-san…!"

Said person snapped out from his reverie and gazed, only to see the face of his worried cousin.

"…Nana…ko…" That's all that he could manage to say, as he started to cough. It was as if like that wasn't his voice at all. It sounded hoarse and fragile. His throat felt really dry.

"Ochibi is finally awake!"

"Echizen!"

"Ryoma-san! Oh, here, drink this."

Nanako helped her cousin to drink the whole glass of liquid. It seemed that it wasn't enough, but it would do for the time being. He looked around and was bewildered to find monkey king. Whatever. But something was bothering him though. Certain people were missing.

He struggled to get to his sitting position. Something was wrong. His mind was telling him incessantly like a mantra. Then, he winced when he felt a massive headache and his chest hurt. He suddenly felt nauseous.

"Hey, brat, don't force yourself! You're still recovering," Ryoma tried to look at the owner of that voice, only to see Atobe beside him, helping him to lie down. Still, he ignored the reprimand completely.

He took a deep breath. "W-where are kaa-san and oyaji?" He scowled when he couldn't control his shaking voice.

Nanako stared at him with tearful eyes. Ryoma noticed it. He looked at Atobe and then to the others. They were staring at him, too. He flinched when Atobe's grip on his shoulder tightened a little all of a sudden.

"We're sorry, Echizen, but they're gone… forever… they're dead… we're really sorry…" He heard Atobe say.

His eyes widened at the worst nightmare he had, or at least, he wished that it really were and just wanted to wake up from it right now to see his sweet and loving kaa-san and his pervert, stubborn, childish, worthless and good-for-nothing oyaji, yet a considerate, caring and understanding father despite all the worst adjectives to describe the old man.

_This is your fault! It's because of you that he's dead!_

Those words again… full of resentment and anger… Was he really the one to blame? The things he'd been through when he was young- No! He didn't want to remember anymore.

Ryoma closed his eyes while the memories of his parents were playing in his mind. Silent tears streak down on his pale cheeks. He never would have thought that he would be crying in that kind of place once more. He didn't even have the chance to thank them for being there all the time when _that_ happened to him a few years ago.

Everyone was silent. What could they say? All they could do was mere thought of letting him be for a while. Their presence was enough to let him know that it's okay to show someone's weaknesses to some people they could trust. It really hurt to see the youngest among them with that sort of sentiment.

They were like that for a little while until the doctor came in to check the patient's status.

_To be continued…

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_

Sorry for killing Rinko and Nanjirou, but it's essential for the sake of this story! T.T Well, I hope you still look forward for my next chapter!

Thank you for reading and please review! You know how important it is for all the aspiring authors to get them motivated.


	3. Chapter 3

I want to thank the following for using their precious time to review: ryoka-chan, Katrina Lune, herbblood, Tenisu no Ojou-sama Kagome, denizen of the night, EchizenRyomaLover, HiKaRi-ChIbI, thfourteenth and Mirsama.

Sorry for the OOC-ness. Please, enjoy, and I want to greet everyone a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Even though it's already late...

* * *

Previously:

_Everyone was silent. What could they say? All they could do was mere thought of letting him be for a while. Their presence was enough to let him know that it's okay to show someone's weaknesses to some people they could trust. It really hurt to see the youngest among them with that sort of sentiment.

* * *

_

**Chapter 3: To be in a Daze- revised**

Hit

Lob

Smash

"Out! 40-15, Shishido-san leads."

Almost everyone stared in bewilderment and in shock. Oshitari pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. What happened to the king of Hyoutei? He couldn't believe that _the_ Atobe Keigo was letting himself lose to someone like Shishido so badly. Something was definitely fishy here…

"Omae… Atobe! Are you mocking me?" Shishido fumed. His prideful ego didn't like it one bit. Of course, he wanted to win, but obviously, not in that kind of manner!

By that time, everyone had halted what they were doing. Atobe maybe loved being the center of attention- of course he did- unfortunately, he didn't give a damn care to it right now.

"My apologies… but I needed to be somewhere else," Atobe turned his divine self to Oshitari before asking him to be in-charge of the club and left along with Kabaji, leaving everyone speechless.

* * *

Ryoma was staring at the white ceiling, seemingly admiring it for being so white and spotless. He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe it would be better if he just let himself sleep for a while. He wondered how everyone was doing. He allowed himself to drift off into a deep slumber.

Then again, he was surprisingly woken up by the knock on the door, and Nanako came in.

"Ryoma-san… I thought you would be sleeping," Nanako paced to Ryoma's bed, along with someone whom Ryoma didn't notice, for that person was behind her.

"Hn…"

"Gomen. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Mo ii yo …"

Nanako merely gave him a smile to that.

Ryoma closes his eyes. He suddenly felt tired. Then, he sighed once more when a wave of dizziness made him a little sick.

"Hello, Ryoma! So how's my favorite nephew?"

A new voice, coming from behind his cousin, broke Ryoma's trance. His eyes shot open in bafflement. He recognized that voice, but he couldn't remember the owner of it. The golden-eyed boy looked up at the man intently to scrutinize him fully.

The man had black tresses, though there's a slight tint of auburn on it; it'd be almost obscured if it weren't for the brightness of the hospital room, and he also had light brown irises. The man's face reminded him of his buchou. He looked a little stern. But he still mused that his buchou had it worse. Still, it reminded him a lot of his mother. It seemed that the guy had a sweet and protective aura luring around him. He was kind of weird when he's described in that kind of way.

"Fine."

Nanako sighed at the lack of response, and then she turned to the other man. "So, Ryuu-oji-san, you said you wanted to talk to Ryoma-san?"

Takeuchi Ryuusuke nodded. He leaned to his nephew and ruffled his hair. He smiled amusingly at the boy's reaction. But his smile faltered when he noted where Ryoma was. He might have wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He knew how he really hated that place. He clearly remembered the last time he'd been there with that kind of place.

Back then, he really couldn't bear watching the boy with each time that he threw up and saw his really pale face.

He also realized how soft and lustrous his locks had become, making him reminisce the time that he had to cut off all of his tresses. That day was certainly painful for him. It was because of the doses he had taken for his treatment. It caused his healthy cells to die off like that, making some of his hair fall off. Those days were so depressing, and it was like watching him die slowly. He couldn't stand watching his elder sister, together with her spouse, cry.

He averted his mind from those recollections when he heard his niece getting his attention.

"Are you all right, uncle?"

"… Y-yeah… I'm fine…"

"Why are you here in Japan?"

"Oh, right… about that… Ryoma, I'm here to tell you that I'll be taking you in my custody from this point on. Is it okay with you?"

Ryoma nodded impassively. He didn't really care anyway.

"That settles it, then. You'll be living with me from now on."

After that, a knock from the door was heard, and a certain diva, along with a really big guy, came in. The moment Atobe saw Nanako and Ryuusuke in the room, he bowed and greeted them to show respect and his glorious presence.

Atobe stared at the man. It took him a while to recognize who the man was, subsequently, he bowed again and said, "It's nice to see you again, Takeuchi-san."

"It's a pleasure meeting you again, too, Keigo-kun."

Nanako raised her brows, showing her befuddled expression. "Ara, so you two knew each other already?"

Atobe nodded before the other man replied, "Aa... You see, Nanako, his father and I are associates. We helped each other in running our respective companies back in the old days, though I hardly get any connections with him anymore. We are both certainly busy nowadays."

"I see. That's really good to hear." Nanako grinned cheerfully.

**...**

All the while, Ryoma tried his hardest to not feel sick. He could barely understand what the three were talking about.

Nanako turned around to see what his cousin was doing, and she got worried when she saw his cousin, "Daijoubu, Ryoma-san?" Upon hearing the question, the other two turned to see what's going on. They looked at the boy intently and noticed how pale he'd become and seemed to be nauseous.

**...**

Maybe if he were to take some rest, it would make him feel better. He felt a headache starting, so he slowly closed his eyes to fall into a deep slumber. He didn't answer his cousin. He didn't even hear their calls for his name.

* * *

Atobe was holding the sleeping boy's hand while he played with his dark tresses with his free hand. The doctor said that the boy was having an anemia. The doctor still needed to do some more examination regarding its risk. The older teen got confused when he noted Takeuchi-san's reaction after hearing the notice.

Seeing Takeuchi-san's face, he got more bemused when the man in question looked as if he would have burst out if it hadn't been for the self-control. He looked so horrified for some reason. Something's just not right at that time, when Ryuusuke asked the doctor to not let the boy's condition turn into something worse. It was like he was afraid that something was going to happen again concerning Ryoma's condition.

Atobe was drawn away from his reverie when he felt Ryoma's hand twitch.

Those golden, glassy orbs slowly revealed its self, and the rich kid watched it blink a few times, before it rolled to where the older teen was. The younger one asked what happened.

"The doctor said that you have anemia, though they needed to run some more test on you."

"Sou ka…" said Ryoma in an almost inaudible tone.

Then, there's a moment of silence. Atobe was wondering what the brat was thinking. He was still holding his hand and stroking his soft mane. Ryoma was having his own thought, not really bothering about Atobe's ministration. "Had this happened before?" The older teen suddenly decided to ask.

"Hn."

"Aren't you going to talk about it?"

"Why would I do that, _monkey king_?" Ryoma smirked, although for Atobe, it seemed to be forced.

"Fine. Ore-sama will not force you if you don't want to."

Neither said another word after that. Albeit Atobe wanted some answers, he didn't wish to be rude and urge the freshman to talk if it were a private matter. Ryoma sighed again, making his rival look at him expectantly.

"… Back when I seven, I passed out. The doctor said I had anemia… then, it turned out that my condition had been worse." The younger teen finally ceded, enlightening Atobe a little.

"How bad was it?"

"I had **ALL****.**"

That made Atobe to stare at him in disbelief. No wonder his uncle reacted that way; it would take an awfully long time to recover from it. A lot of people would feel like crying by just watching someone really close to him suffer from that illness. A sufferer like him would naturally hate this kind of place.

Both of them were in their own trance. Atobe was still staring at Ryoma. He focused on the latter once more, and that's when he realized that the boy was crying.

"Ryoma…"

It was depressing… yet Ryoma looked so beautiful when he was crying. He didn't want to see him like that. Still, he couldn't help but stare and be allured by it. What were those emotions? His mind was telling him that it was nothing, yet his heart thought about it otherwise.

Ryoma looked up at the mention of his own name, and before he realized what's happening, he felt the other's lips being pressed on his. Eyes showed sorts of emotions. He was confused and stunned; thought it so wrong, yet it felt so right. The older teen traced his tongue on his lower lip, asking for entrance. Ryoma let his eyes close slowly and complied with his demand, deepening the kiss.

If oxygen hadn't been so necessary, they would have stayed longer like that. But it was obvious that they needed to breathe, so Atobe reluctantly pulled himself away from Ryoma. Atobe smiled at him lovingly before he placed a chaste kiss on the boy's temple. He then found himself staring into his eyes again. They were just so pretty, and he solely wanted to gaze at it forever. Maybe there was something more about the brat for him after all.

"It will be all right, Ryoma… I will always be here for you…"

Ryoma just gave him a loving smile, before he replaced it with a weak smirk. "Idiot monkey king..."

"Brat…"

His smile didn't even falter from his face after the insult. It was peculiar that he was really happy about it.

Maybe he really loved Ryoma after all.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, a certain brunet was watching. When he felt that he had enough, he slowly pulled the door closed and leaned on it after that. He heaved a deep wavering sigh and tried to collect himself. He wouldn't want to dare and interfere after realizing what's happening.

He cared for Ryoma and loved him so deeply. But if he thought that it were for the best, then he would try and tolerate it, even if it meant that it would hurt him to a great extent.

* * *

The door burst open and came in a hyperactive red-headed acrobat, running towards Ryoma's direction.

"Ochibiiii! We missed you so much, nyaaaaa~!" He yelled while he suffocated his kouhai with his hug. Ooshi quickly ran to the two of them and stopped his aibou from choking the freshman. He switched into his mother mode and checked if Echizen's all right. After making sure that everything was fine, he reprimanded Eiji, making the latter whine childishly.

Momo snickered, earning an insult from Kaidou. Inui revealed his notebook and muttered, "Ii data," not bothering to stop the two sophomores. Taka was trying his best to restrain his kouhai-tachi from beating each other. Eiji, while he was being reprimanded by Ooishi, stepped in to give Kawamura his racket, ignoring his aibou completely.

"MOERUZE, BUUURRRRRNIIIINGGG!" Momoshiro and Kaidou stopped when they comprehended that Taka's in burning mode.

Fuji still had his fake smile plastered on his face. He ignored the others' commotion, as he watched Ryoma's impassive face, a hint of annoyance on it. He chuckled halfheartedly at seeing Ryoma's youthful appearance. He then leaned to his beloved kouhai.

Upon noticing his senpai beside him, Ryoma looked up with a questioning gaze. His teammates had halted what they were doing by the time Fuji bent down to whisper something to Ryoma's delicate ear.

"I love you, Ryoma, and for that, I'm going to hand you to someone better than me."

He said in a sweet tone, before he gently pressed his lips on the younger teen's. He had given Ryoma one last smile before he turned his heels to depart, leaving Ryoma in stupor, as the others gaped and blushed, whilst Inui dropped his pen.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading the third chapter. Hopefully, this is better than the last time.

Anyway, **A.L.L. **stands for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. _Acute _refers to the relatively short time course of the disease, so this means that this disease most likely occurs on children, unlike Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, which has a potential time course for many years.

**A.L.L. **involves the abnormal function of the bone marrow, as it continuously produces malignant and immature WBC and overcrowds the bone marrow. It is usually treated by chemotherapy or by radiation, although radiation can also affect the patient's health. But the bone marrow transplant is highly effective and it is used, together with chemotherapy, to kill the unwanted cells, especially the ones that are in the bone marrow. But it also kills healthy cells, making the patient feel sicker than before.

I bet most of you already guessed that Ryoma had leukemia. ^^

Oh well… I REALLY hope you liked the chapter, and please, bear with me, and I wished for you to REVIEW! XD

HAPPY BELATED VALENTINE'S DAY AGAIN, MINNA-SAN! X3


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